4th he wrote
to Dr. Aldis Wright from Woodbridge (_Letters_, II, p. 126, Eversley
Edition): "I run over to Lowestoft occasionally for a few days, but do
not abide there long: no longer having my dear little Ship for company. . . ."

Who bought the _Scandal_ I do not know. Posh has no recollection, and
Dr. Aldis Wright has been unable to trace with certainty the subsequent
owner of her, though he has reason to think that she was sold to Sir
Cuthbert Quilter. She had served her purpose. She was, as Posh assures
me, a "fast and handy little schooner."

After her sale FitzGerald still remained the mortgagee of the _Meum and
Tuum_ and the _Henrietta_. But this was not to last indefinitely. Posh's
spirit of independence and love of "bare" were fated to put an end to all
business relations between his old "guv'nor" and him.

CHAPTER XVII
BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE

Matters were still progressing fairly satisfactorily when FitzGerald
visited Lowestoft in September, 1872. On the 29th of that month he wrote
to Mr. Spalding (_Two Suffolk Friends_, p. 122):--

". . . Posh--after no fish caught for 3 weeks--has had his boat come
home with nearly all her fleet of nets torn to pieces in last week's
winds. . . . he . . . went with me to the theatre afterwards, where he
admired the 'Gays,' as he called the Scenes; but fell asleep before
Shylock had whetted his knife in the Merchant of Venice. . . ."

"Gays" is East Anglian for pictures.

* * * * *

Towards the end of 1873 relations began to be severely strained between
mortgagor and mortgagee. On December the 31st FitzGerald wrote from 12
Marine Terrace, Lowestoft:--

"12 MARINE TERRACE,
"_December_ 31.

"JOSEPH FLETCHER,

"As you cannot talk with me without confusion, I write a few words to
you on the subject of the two grievances which you began about this
morning.

"1st. As to your being _under_ your Father: I said no such thing: but
wrote that he was to be _either_ Partner, or (with your Mother)
constantly employed, and consulted with as to the Boats. It is indeed
for _their_ sakes, and that of your own Family, that I have come to
take all this trouble

"2ndly. As to the Bill of Sale to me. If you could be calm enough,
you would see that this would be a Protection _to yourself_. You do
not pay your different Creditors _all_ their Bill at the year's end.
Now, if any one of these should h